By Daniel Akst
Masters of the obvious
The Management Myth: Management Consulting Past, Present, and Largely BogusBy Matthew Stewart Norton, 304 pages, $27.95
In their guts most entrepreneurs know that management is an art, not a science, and that success has little to do with what you learned in school -- especially business school.
For business owners with lingering doubts, this book is a worthy antidote. The author, a philosopher-turned-consultant-turned-critic, argues that "management science" is mostly a lucrative religion, with consultants its know-nothing high priests. These consultants, in his view, are woefully short on knowledge and experience; at one firm where he worked, "even the older partners had managed little that was more complex than a Thanksgiving dinner." (more)
Showing posts with label Book Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Review. Show all posts
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Small Business Trends: Riches in Niches: A Book Review
By Ivana Taylor
The biggest mistake we small business owners can make is being too general and trying to be all things to all people. It seems counter-intuitive to focus your sales and marketing on one segment and appear to ignore or reject another.
But if you want to be successful, that’s what you have to do. Find a niche and serve it.
But how are you supposed to do that? This has always caused me frustration – and I do this for a living! So when I heard about this new book “Riches in Niches,” I had to get it. At first, I was giddy with anticipation to get the book because I always think that the next book that lands in my mailbox will be the holy grail of marketing. (I know. It’s a problem.) (more)
The biggest mistake we small business owners can make is being too general and trying to be all things to all people. It seems counter-intuitive to focus your sales and marketing on one segment and appear to ignore or reject another.
But if you want to be successful, that’s what you have to do. Find a niche and serve it.
But how are you supposed to do that? This has always caused me frustration – and I do this for a living! So when I heard about this new book “Riches in Niches,” I had to get it. At first, I was giddy with anticipation to get the book because I always think that the next book that lands in my mailbox will be the holy grail of marketing. (I know. It’s a problem.) (more)
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Harvard Business: Book Review: Jim Collins' How the Mighty Fall
by Julia Kirby
Jim Collins' latest volume of management thinking, How the Mighty Fall ... and Why Some Companies Never Give In, begins with Collins recalling the advice of his mentor, Stanford professor Bill Lazier: "Don't try to come up with the right answers; focus on coming up with good questions." And certainly that describes Collins' achievement here. Why do leading companies, seemingly in possession of every competitive advantage, so often manage to blow it? That's surely a good question.
So good, in fact, that the last management researchers to tackle it in a serious way won last year's McKinsey Award for the best article published by Harvard Business Review. "When Growth Stalls," by Matt Olson, Derek van Bever, and Seth Verry, summarized the results from the Corporate Executive Board's extensive inquiry into the downfalls of formerly high-flying companies. (more)
Jim Collins' latest volume of management thinking, How the Mighty Fall ... and Why Some Companies Never Give In, begins with Collins recalling the advice of his mentor, Stanford professor Bill Lazier: "Don't try to come up with the right answers; focus on coming up with good questions." And certainly that describes Collins' achievement here. Why do leading companies, seemingly in possession of every competitive advantage, so often manage to blow it? That's surely a good question.
So good, in fact, that the last management researchers to tackle it in a serious way won last year's McKinsey Award for the best article published by Harvard Business Review. "When Growth Stalls," by Matt Olson, Derek van Bever, and Seth Verry, summarized the results from the Corporate Executive Board's extensive inquiry into the downfalls of formerly high-flying companies. (more)
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Tynan.net: Book Review: The E-Myth Revisited
By Tynan
I just read a book that is challenging a how I see the world, like the Dip did many months ago. Like the dip, this book talked a lot about things I knew I SHOULD be doing, but didn’t really understand why. I’m a stubborn person, so understanding the "Why?" is really important for me to actually make changes.
The book is called "The E-Myth Revisited". I’d heard about it and had it recommended to me over the years, but hadn’t gotten around to reading it because the name sounded absolutely terrible. That’s my stubbornness, again.
In a nutshell, the book is about how to to organize, run, and think about your small business. Different examples in the book actually made me nervous because it was as if they were describing me personally. Problems that I’ve run into were described with psychic accuracy, and solutions were described which made me think, "oh, of course!". Needless to say, I will probably be making some big changes as a result of the book. (more)
I just read a book that is challenging a how I see the world, like the Dip did many months ago. Like the dip, this book talked a lot about things I knew I SHOULD be doing, but didn’t really understand why. I’m a stubborn person, so understanding the "Why?" is really important for me to actually make changes.
The book is called "The E-Myth Revisited". I’d heard about it and had it recommended to me over the years, but hadn’t gotten around to reading it because the name sounded absolutely terrible. That’s my stubbornness, again.
In a nutshell, the book is about how to to organize, run, and think about your small business. Different examples in the book actually made me nervous because it was as if they were describing me personally. Problems that I’ve run into were described with psychic accuracy, and solutions were described which made me think, "oh, of course!". Needless to say, I will probably be making some big changes as a result of the book. (more)
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Book Review: "Be the Solution," by Michael Strong
By Max Borders
Most people think politics boils down to different answers to the question: how do we make the world a better place? According to idealist Michael Strong, step one is to ditch the politics. The second step to making the world better -- that is, making global progress in areas like human well-being, environmental health and individual happiness -- is to shed what can only be described as some of our cultural baggage.
Consider what we'll call the "Zero-sum Three":
Manichaeism—People are good or evil and the world is black and white;
Pessimism—The glass is half empty (and it's usually somebody else's fault); and
Statism—Government can and should solve all of our problems. It's easier to hope and pray (to bureaucracies) than to "just do it".
Be the Solution, a new book by FLOW co-founder Michael Strong, is as much about unleashing entrepreneurship as it is a serious critique of the Zero-sum Three. And in Strong's view, entrepreneurship is more than just making money. Much more. Drucker and Hayek? Meet Maslow and the Mahatma. (more)
Most people think politics boils down to different answers to the question: how do we make the world a better place? According to idealist Michael Strong, step one is to ditch the politics. The second step to making the world better -- that is, making global progress in areas like human well-being, environmental health and individual happiness -- is to shed what can only be described as some of our cultural baggage.
Consider what we'll call the "Zero-sum Three":
Manichaeism—People are good or evil and the world is black and white;
Pessimism—The glass is half empty (and it's usually somebody else's fault); and
Statism—Government can and should solve all of our problems. It's easier to hope and pray (to bureaucracies) than to "just do it".
Be the Solution, a new book by FLOW co-founder Michael Strong, is as much about unleashing entrepreneurship as it is a serious critique of the Zero-sum Three. And in Strong's view, entrepreneurship is more than just making money. Much more. Drucker and Hayek? Meet Maslow and the Mahatma. (more)
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